TRON Seminar in Translational Oncology: Prof. Fulda

May 31, 2012

Prof. Dr. Simone Fulda

Director of the Insitute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, J. W. Goethe University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany

“Targeting cell death pathways for cancer therapy”

Frau Prof. Dr. Simone Fulda aims to identify the molecular mechanisms of autophagy induction by the natural compound betulinic acid using glioblastoma as a prototypic model of an apoptosis resistant cancer. In a hypothesis-driven approach, her group explores the contribution of mitophagy, analyzes the contribution of selective autophagy receptors, investigates modulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling as a central regulator of autophagy in cancers and explores the relevance of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In an exploratory approach, Prof. Fulda’s group investigates the effect of betulinic acid on the autophagy network. In addition, a selected shRNA-based library of autophagy modulators is used to identify the key regulators that are involved in B10-mediated induction of autophagy. Candidates will be validated and characterized in cellular model, primary patients’ derived material, preclinical glioblastoma models. Critical interaction nodes between autophagy and apoposis pathways will be analyzed as well.